Valimaki cautiously optimistic for APRC title in Makassar<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi<\/p>\n
With the Asia Pacific Rally Championship 2005 title within
\nreach, Jussi Valimaki is vowing to keep risk-taking to a minimum
\nin this weekend's Gudang Garam International Rally Indonesia
\nhere.<\/p>\n
The Finn is atop the standings with 55 points after five legs
\nin Canberra, New Caledonia, Rotorua, Hokkaido and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
With Japan's Toshi Arai, who trails in second by 20 points,
\nskipping the two-day rally starting on Saturday, a win will earn
\nValimaki and co-driver Jarkko Kalliolepo the 2005 title.<\/p>\n
\"We are quite close to the title. I will not take too many
\nrisks in the race,\" Valimaki told a press conference on Friday.<\/p>\n
With only six of the eight series counting toward championship
\nstandings, participants do not have to race throughout the
\nseason. Toshi has opted to concentrate on the Production World
\nRally Championship, whose next race is in Wales next week.<\/p>\n
The ralliers said the weather in Makassar was not as hot as
\nduring the preceding race in Malaysia, but it is still a
\nchallenge for Valimaki.<\/p>\n
\"As a Scandinavian, the temperature (in Indonesia) is the
\nbiggest challenge. But, I hope I have a good race.\"<\/p>\n
Valimaki won the first two series and finished runner-up in
\nthe following two before taking a break from the Malaysian race.<\/p>\n
\"I was lucky that I didn't take part in Malaysia. It was too
\nhot,\" the MRF Tyres driver said.<\/p>\n
Rally Indonesia has 28 entrants, 10 of whom are competing in
\nthe APRC category. Visiting drivers come from Japan, New Zealand
\nand Finland.<\/p>\n
The participants had a shakedown session in the morning before
\nbeing officially flagged off at the Mandala monument in downtown
\nMakassar in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian rally is no different from Malaysia, except
\nthat the stages are characterized by gravel,\" Geoff Argyle of New
\nZealand said.<\/p>\n
Argyle, who drives for the Silverstone Performance Tyres team
\nwith co-driver Jane Black, is currently in third position with 34
\npoints, followed by Katsuhiro Taguchi of Japan (25), Chee Hong
\nKan of Malaysia (22), Dermott Malley of New Zealand (21), with
\nBrian Green of New Zealand and Mitsuhro Kunisawa of Japan tied on
\n11 points.<\/p>\n
Chee and Mitsuhro are other absentees in Makassar.<\/p>\n
Apart from being the sixth stop of the APRC, the race serves
\nas the third event in the national championship.<\/p>\n
Brothers Rifat and Rizal Sungkar, both from the Pertamina
\nPrima XP team, are at the top with 40 points and 32 points
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
Bosowa Rally Team driver Herry Agung is in third place with 23
\npoints.<\/p>\n
Rifat, fourth in Malaysia in his only other participation in
\nthe Asia Pacific rally, was not present during the press
\nconference. He flew in later in the day after he attended the
\nNational Sports Day commemoration in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Despite finding himself a distant second, Rizal did not rule
\nout his chances.<\/p>\n
\"With the final leg to follow in November (in Jakarta), I'm
\nstill in for the championship. But I will be equally happy if I
\ncan retain second until the end, because I'm content for a place
\nin the top three in my first season race,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The rally covers 13 special stages over a distance of about
\n233 kilometers in the Bili-Bili and Takalar sugarcane plantation
\narea.<\/p>\n
The APRC authorities, looking to cut the series from eight to
\nsix legs next year, are closely monitoring the results,
\nespecially with participants picking and choosing their events.<\/p>\n
\"We can only count six results...so it is not necessary to do
\neight rallies,\" said APRC coordinator Murray Brown.<\/p>\n
\"Each team is picking one or two rallies not to attend. Toshi
\nis not competing in this event. Jussi did not competing in
\nMalaysia. That reduces competitiveness.\"<\/p>\n
He was guarded when asked about Indonesia's chances of playing
\nhost next year.<\/p>\n
\"Well, it depends entirely on this rally...on what happens
\nduring this rally. Everything must run OK.<\/p>\n
\"The committee and the people running the event must have
\nexperience to know how to run a big event and make everything
\nwork OK.\"<\/p>",
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